You Know You Love Me
by Marl0u
Summary: Glee meets Gossip Girl: Quinn en Santana are battling to become Queen of Constance, Kurt tries to get an internship at Vogue and Tina feels invisible. But then Artie Abrahams returns to the Upper East Side and gets entangled in the web of lies, scandals and gossip again. And who am I? That's a secreat I never tell. You know you love me xoxo Gossip Girl. (No characters from GG)
1. Chapter 1: The Return of the Golden Boy

**A/N: The idea of a Glee/Gossip Girl crossover popped up in my head a few weeks ago, even before Chace Crawford was on Glee. I hope you like it. I'm not planning on using any of the GG-characters, just the concept of the Gossip Girl-website. There might be some references to the Gossip Girl characters.**

**Disclaimers: I own neither Glee or Gossip Girl **

* * *

_Welcome back Upper East Siders,_

_I hope you had a good summer. I certainly had, but I'm glad that the new school year's about to start. You may wonder why anyone would want to go back to boring classes, homework and teachers. The answer is simple: A new school year means new loves, friendships, betrayals, schemes and most of all gossip._

_For all of you that tried to forget what happened last year over the summer, I'm sorry that's not going to happen. Let's have a small recap:_

_Baby Fabray finally managed to win golden boy's, Finn Hudson's, heart. After years of friendship, denial and desperate attempts from Q's side, they're finally together. With the Golden Boy on her arm, will Baby Fabray finally manage to take over the crown from her sister and become Constance's Queen Q?_

_The other contestant in the run for becoming Queen of Constance, Santana Lopez, surprised us last spring by dumping her boyfriend Matt Rutherford. Word has it, she has set her mind on heart-breaker Noah Puckerman, but he doesn't seem interested. Be careful, S, everyone knows a Queen isn't a Queen without a King on her side._

_After her parents' divorce a few years ago, Brittany has found love herself. The Pierces and Changs can be proud of their life-long matchmaking, because Brittany and Junior spent their summer willingly together in the Changs' residence in the Hamptons. Hopefully the rumors that there's more than lawsuits and divorce cases going on at Pierce & Chang, won't ruin this new fresh love._

_As you see, there's a lot to look forward to this year. So be prepared, Upper East Siders, because I'm going to have a lot of fun this year!_

_You know you love me._

_XOXO Gossip Girl_

Tina Cohen-Chang read the newest Gossip Girl blast, as she walked towards Constance. Unlike most of the girls she went to school with, her parents didn't have a limo that brought her everywhere she wanted. It didn't mind. She knew how to take the subway and she could walk to school, but such thing made it impossible to ever belong to the elite of the school. Their parents were the best businessmen and -women, the best lawyers, dentists et cetera. Her parents were only lawyers at Pierce & Chang. Of course they were wealthy, but in comparison with the Pierces, Fabrays or Puckermans, they were poor.

Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce were sitting on the steps as Tina walked by them. From the corner of her eye, she saw Kurt Hummel and Mercedes Jones walking towards them with three cups of coffee. None of them even looked at her. She wasn't surprised. Ever since she went to Constance last year, she had been invisible. Her classmates barely knew she was there and the teachers seemed unable to remember her name. At first she had been hurt, but now she was just relieved. It was better to be invisible than to be the loser of the school, like Rachel Berry.

Tina saw her in front of the school. As usual she was wearing a weird combination of tights, an awful skirt and a blouse that was so ugly, that Tina wondered who besides Rachel would buy it. Rachel did notice her, but neither of them greeted each other. Once they had been forced to work together. Since then Rachel knew who she was, but she seemed to understand that Tina rather was invisible than the girl everyone picked on.

Tina walked past Rachel and went towards the courtyard, where she sat down. She was a little early, so she decided to read a little before the classes started. She opened her book on the page she finished last night.

As she read about how the main character discovered the world, she heard some boys from St. Jude's walking past her and sitting down at the table behind her. It took some time for her to realize who they were, but she was sure after she heard one of them saying:

"Hey, Puckerman, according to Gossip Girl you're not interested in Santana. Since when aren't you interested in every girl that you see?"

Some of them laughed. "Not funny, Karofsky. You know how bad Matt felt after Santana broke up with him. I'm not going to be a total douche and sleep with his ex-girlfriend when he's still heartbroken."

"It's been..." Tina was almost able to hear David Karofsky thinking, "...four months. I think he's over it. And if he isn't, then that's just pathetic."

Puck laughed. "You have a point there, Karofsky. Maybe I should miss Lopez to lunch this afternoon."

The boys laughed, probably because they knew Puck wasn't interested in having lunch with a girl.

Tina shook her head a little and she decided to ignore them, as she heard a new voice. "Hey guys."

It was Finn Hudson aka Golden Boy. Tina had to admit that she had had a small crush on Finn when she arrived at Constance. She couldn't help it. He was just so charming and handsome. The only problem was, that he was always surrounded by girl plus she was invisible. After she realized they were never going to be together, she got him out of her head, but now she heard his voice, she couldn't help but notice that her heart leapt.

"Finn! How was your summer?" She heard how the boys hugged each other and started talking about their summer.

"It was good. I went with my mom to Australia."

"To Australia?" Karofsky asked a little confused, "I thought you were with Quinn in the Hamptons."

"I wasn't. My mom wanted to go so bad and Quinn's parents didn't want her to come to, so I had to go alone."

"Quinn went to Barcelona." Puck said, "I mean, that's what I heard."

"Yeah, she did. Frannie's boyfriend has a house in Barcelona, so she spent some time with her sister."

"Weren't you afraid she would hook up with some Spanish dude?" Karofsky asked.

Finn laughed, "No, man. Quinn isn't like that."

Tina didn't believe that last remark was totally true. Quinn had had some flirts according to Gossip Girl, but she wasn't going to break the news to Finn. If something had happened, he'd probably find out himself.

The guys kept talking about summer, Australia and girls and Tina lost her interest in their conversation. She read to more pages before the bell rang and they had to go to class. She put her book in her bag and saw that the guys were going to class too, as her phone rang. Not only hers, but she heard ringtones everywhere. This could only mean one thing: Gossip Girl had posted another blast.

_Spotted: Artie Abrahams returning to the Upper East Side. The good old Golden Boy that went out of the running after a tragic accident. It seems like he's returning to his old friends and he's not alone. He has his new best friend with him: his wheelchair. Be prepared, A, because your chair isn't the only thing that changed since you left._


	2. Chapter 2: The World from a Chair

**A/N: So, I basically introduced everyone in the first chapter, but in this chapter we'll get to know some more about Artie and Quinn. I'm planning on writing from Tina's, Artie's, Quinn's and Kurt's point of view (that's why they're tagged as the characters)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Gossip Girl**

* * *

Artie Abrahams couldn't remember the last time he was so nervous. Even when his physiotherapist had tried to make him walk, he hadn't felt like this. He had known that any attempt to walk again would fail, so in order to prevent a huge disappointment, he hadn't raised his hopes. But this was different. He was going to see his old friends again. Of course he had seen them after the accident. They had paid him a lot of visits, although those visits became more and more seldom last year. He had tried to convince himself that they were busy with school and their own lives, but he was afraid that his accident had not only destroyed his legs, but also his friendships.

He rolled his wheelchair down the halls of St. Jude's. The school had adjusted its entrances especially for him. Before there had been stairs. Now there were also ramps, so he could go to school here. He still couldn't believe the school did that for him, but he assumed his parents paid for at least half of it.

He was a little late for his math class, but the Headmistress had assured him that he could be late the first week, since the school was new to him. He thought it was a little exaggerated, but it was nice to look for the classroom without trying to avoid people's toes.

A little nervous, he knocked on the door as he arrived at the right classroom. Apparently, the teacher had had some instruction, because he opened the door himself and said: "Mr. Abrahams! I'm glad to see you."

Artie rolled his wheelchair into the classroom, where all guys were staring at him. Artie had expected they would be surprised, but they didn't seem to be. It confused him a little and he didn't know what do or say. The teacher pointed him towards his table and without looking at any of the boys' faces he rolled towards it. The table was in the front of the class and right behind it, Noah Puckerman was sitting. As soon as the teacher started to talk about what they were going to do this year, Puck tapped him on the shoulder. "You could've told us, you were coming back. Now we only knew because of the Gossip Girl blast."

That explained why no one had looked surprised as they saw him, Artie thought. "I'm sorry, man." He said, "I didn't know for sure I was coming to St. Jude's until a few days ago and then I had to buy books, a uniform and other stuff. It was too much of blur."

"It's okay." Puck said. For a moment Artie thought he would say something more, but he didn't. Artie was a little disappointed, but on the other hand, a friend had talked to him as if he had been gone for the summer instead of a year and six months. That was something.

During the first break Quinn Fabray sat down at their table in the courtyard with her two best friends, Santana Lopez en Brittany Pierce. "I wish I was in Barcelona." She said with a sigh.

"I wish I was in Mexico." Santana said. "My dad is still there, but he wouldn't let me stay with him."

"On the bright side, we're together again." Brittany said in a try to cheer them up.

Santana smiled. "How can you be so optimistic at the first day of school? You should be depressed like me and Q."

"I think it has something to do with Junior." Quinn smiled as Brittany's cheeks turned scarlet. Santana shook her head. "I can't believe you actually gave in to Junior. Come on, you could get so much better."

"S, be happy for her." Quinn ordered, "Junior is a great guy. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks." Brittany said.

At that moment Quinn saw Mike and Matt walking into the courtyard. Mike obviously wanted to sit with them, but Matt didn't seem to like that. It surprised that he still wasn't over Santana. It had been four months and they had only been together for a few months.

Mike won the discussion and the two boys walked towards them. Now Brittany and Santana saw them too. A big smile appeared on Brittany's face and Santana almost choked on her lunch. Quinn tried her best not to giggle.

"Hey Britt." Mike said and he kissed her on the cheek like a gentleman. He sat down next to her, leaving the only available spot for Matt between Quinn and Santana. Uncomfortably he sat down, took out his phone and ignored both Quinn and Santana.

"Hey Mike." Brittany smiled. "How was your morning?"

"As good as you can expect on your first day of school." He said, "I long for afternoons in the Hamptons."

Brittany laughed as Mike winked and Santana rolled her eyes. Quinn felt the urge to slap her in the face. Why couldn't she be happy for their friend? Mike was a great guy and treated Brittany like a princess. What was wrong with him? To distract them all for a while, decided to ask Mike about the rumors. "Did you see Artie today? Gossip Girl said he is going to St. Jude's now."

Mike gave a nod. "I saw him and Puck had a class with him. He has to repeat his math class, remember? Apparently, Artie is a sophomore now. "

"So, it's true." Quinn concluded. It was weird that Artie was back. They had been friends before the accident, but afterwards she didn't really visit him. Sure, the first two months she had went to see him several times, but after that she had lost interest. She felt a little guilty, but she knew it had been inevitable. All the others had stopped visiting at some point. There was nothing to talk about. The only thing that Artie did, was lying in bed or learning how to use a wheelchair and he could read on Gossip Girl what they did all the time.

"Hey, guys, what are you talking about?" Quinn's heart jumped as she heard Finn's voice. She turned around and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. Behind her back she heard Santana making a vomit noise, but she didn't care. "How are you, honey?"

"Mwah, it's good to see everyone again."

"It's good to see me again, you mean." Quinn said with a smile.

Finn smirked. "Of course, it's great to see you again too."

They sat down at their table and Quinn had to sit on Finn's lap, because there wasn't room for another person. Not that she did mind.

"We were talking about Cripple Boy." Santana informed him.

The corners of Finn's mouth dropped. "Was that necessary, Santana?"

Santana shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. It's just weird he's in a wheelchair."

"He's still the same person." Finn defended Artie. Quinn found it cute how he stood up for his friend, but she had to disagree. "He isn't the same person, Finn. A wheelchair changes a person, whether you like it or not. He can't play football or lacrosse anymore. He's different."

"I can't believe he told none of us he was coming to St. Jude's." Mike said as he chewed on a sandwich. Brittany nodded her head agreeing.

"He told me." Finn said nonchalant. Taken by surprise Quinn turned her head in Finn's direction. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you knew." Finn didn't seem to make a big deal out of it, but Quinn did. She was his girlfriend. This was important information and he had to share such things with her.

"I wonder why he didn't tell any of us, but you." Brittany said.

Quinn had a feeling she knew what was going on. Finn was the one that tried to drag her once a month to Artie, but she always had told him she was busy. He went every month and listened to Artie's stories and told his own, although they were all on Gossip Girl. She'd always thought of it as a waste of time, but apparently, Artie hadn't felt that way. But how could he blame them? While his life was practically paused, their lives continued. She was a busy girl. She was trying to become Queen of Constance and although it didn't seem to be a lot of work it was. She had to make sure, the girls liked her and that was exhausting. Artie couldn't blame her for not visiting.

A little angry she looked at Finn's face. He was also thinking about something. She could see it, but he didn't mention it as he spoke. He just shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, me too."

The first day of school was finally over. Artie never thought that it could be so exhausting to go to class. Maybe it was because he had done freshmen year from a hospital. It was also exhausting that he had to explain in several classes why he was in a wheelchair and still everyone kept staring at him. He didn't know any of his new classmates (except for the few that failed some classes) and being in a wheelchair seemed to scare them away. He hadn't talked to his old friends either. Puck mysteriously disappeared after math class and he hadn't seen any of them afterwards.

A limo was waiting for him in front of the school. It was design for him and he could get in himself. Still, that was complicated, but he didn't need help for it, so he would adjust. He was about to start when he saw Puck, Mike, Matt, Finn and Dave. "Hey guys!" He said.

The five boys turned their heads, but as they saw him only Finn smiled. The rest of them looked just uncomfortable. Finn walked towards him and the others followed.

"Hey, Artie, how was your first day."

"Exhausting." Artie said. "How was yours?"

Finn laughed. "Also exhausting. Everything we have to do this year..."

Artie laughed too. He looked at the others that smiled a little, but didn't seem to know what to say. So Artie decided to talk to them too. "What happened to your Mohawk, Puckerman?"

"Mohawk?" Puck was confused at first. "Oh, I shaved it off after freshmen year."

"Really? I never noticed." Artie said. Not that he had seen Puck often after freshmen year.

"Yeah, well, you get used to it very fast."

"He means he's still a lady killer without it." Finn said with a grin.

Now the guys laughed some more, but the conversation was still awkward. "What are you up to?"

"We...we're going to play some football." Mike said, "Sorry man."

Artie smiled, but on the inside it killed him that he couldn't go with them. Most of the time he accepted that he'd probably be in this wheelchair for the rest of his life. It didn't mind when he slept or ate or went to classes, but whenever he saw some guys playing football or a women jogging, he felt sad because he wouldn't be able to do any of that. Fortunately, he had learned to suck it up and tried not to show it. "That's fine. I think I'd fall asleep anyway."

"Next time." Finn said as they said goodbye. The guys disappeared and Artie got himself in the limo. With a sigh he closed his eyes. This was going to be a long year.

_Spotted: Artie Abrahams failing at getting back in. Told you the Upper East Side isn't wheelchair-proof._


	3. Chapter 3: Something New

"Excuse me?"

A voice startled Tina. She had been reading in one of her favorite books: Mathilda by Roald Dahl. She knew that was a children's book, but still she liked and could read it a hundred times. She thought she had been alone in the library, but apparently someone came in and found her in her favorite spot.

She looked up and saw that Artie Abrahams was standing – well not standing of course – sitting in front of her. She didn't really know him. When he had the accident, she hadn't been at Constance's. She had only read about him when she was bored and read old Gossip Girl blasts. "C-can I h-help you?" She stuttered. She always had a stutter when she talked to people she didn't know.

"Yes, the book I want is on the fifth shelf and I can't reach it. Could you help me?"

"O-of course." Tina stuttered. She put down her own book in a way that Artie wouldn't be able to see the cover. She got up and followed him to the particular bookcase. On the shelf he pointed at were books about Shakespeare. Most of them were original plays; some of them contained 'translation'. Tina took the book Artie wanted and handed it over.

"Thanks."

"Y-you're w-welcome." Tina said. There was an awkward silence after that. Maybe he'd expected her to say something about the book of his choice. Maybe he was trying to hit on her. She had never experienced anything like it, so she wouldn't know.

"So why are you alone in a library on a sunny day like this?"

Tina didn't know what to answer to that question. The real reason was because she didn't have any friends and she was a loser, but she wasn't going to tell him that. She had some self-respect left. "I-I like r-reading."

"Seems legit." Artie remarked and he smiled at her. "You know I never liked the library. It's so dark in here and kind of boring."

Tina smiled. She read on Gossip Girl that Artie used to be the star of the St. Jude's football team. He didn't seem the type of guy that would like the library, so she wasn't surprised by his remark.

"But now I think it's amazing. I've been reading a lot in the hospital. Plus there's enough space between the cases for me to move around." He chuckled. "What were you reading before I brutally interrupted you?"

Tina hesitated for a moment. Should she admit she was reading a children's book? She didn't want to make a stupid impression on the only person that had spoken to her this school year. "I...uh..was r-reading Jane E-eyre."

"Jane Eyre?" Artie frowned. "That's...very intellectual. I prefer more contemporary books, like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and Divergent." He looked at her. "I guess that makes me a nerd."

"No, not all." Tina had read all of those series too, but she'd never imagined that anyone else on Constance would even know those books. "I've read them too."

"Cool." Artie smiled, "And you didn't even stutter saying that."

Tina was stunned. She hadn't even noticed herself. "I-l..."

"Ah, I pushed your luck. I'm sorry."

"I-it's okay." Tina said and a little smile appeared on her face.

"Well, I won't bother you anymore." Artie turned his wheelchair around. Tina bit her lip. She didn't want him to go. He was the first person that had really talked to her this school year – teachers not included. It was great to talk some one of your own age. Besides Artie was nice and funny. She wanted to say he could stay with her, but she didn't know how.

So she watched Artie rolling to the exit. Just before he would leave the library, he stopped and looked at her. "Oh, by the way, Roald Dahl's one of my favorite authors."

He winked at her. For a minute she stared at him. Had he known she was lying about Jane Eyre? She couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach. She wasn't sure if she had fallen for Artie Abrahams or if she just liked talking to someone. Either way she wanted to see him again sometime.

* * *

"Did you see what Rachel Berry was wearing today?" Kurt asked his best friend Mercedes as they walked to the steps where the Unholy Trinity – as they called Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce.

"Yeah, some kind of awful tights." Mercedes's face was filled with horror. Kurt understood that, since it had burned his eyes too.

"I know. It should be forbidden. Why doesn't Constance have a real uniform instead of some stupid rules for clothing? They could forbid Berry's outfits."

"She'd probably show up dressed like that anyway. She's no sense of fashion. I heard her say that she was wearing pants. Pff, everyone knows that tights are not pants." Mercedes rolled her eyes.

"Except for people whose parents invest in Broadway." Kurt said with a wink. They had arrived at the place the Unholy Trinity was sitting. As usual Kurt handed over the cups of coffee and then he sat down with Mercedes a few steps beneath the three girls. Today Finn was sitting with them. Kurt didn't know if that was allowed, but apparently rules didn't count when you were golden boy Finn Hudson. Kurt gave a small sigh that no one could hear. He couldn't even remember for how long he had had a crush on Finn. It was stupid, because Finn would never like him back and even if he did, Kurt couldn't date him, since he was Quinn's ex by then. Rules of feminism obviously. No, he got a relationship with Finn out of his head, but there was something else that he wanted from Golden Boy. Finn's mom, Carole Ellison, wrote for Vogue and if there was one thing that Kurt wanted, then it was working for Vogue. It had been his dream since he was a little kid and he saw the fabulous outfits the people on page six wore. If he only was friends with Finn, Carole could get him an internship at Vogue. That would be perfect. He only needed to figure out how he and Finn could become friends. They hadn't anything in common, except for the fact that they both went to St. Jude's. Still, there had to be something they could bond over.

The Unholy Trinity was talking about Artie again. Kurt barely paid attention. He knew Artie, but he had just been one of those boys he tolerated, because Quinn, Santana and Brittany liked them.

"You think I should invite him to my birthday party?" Brittany asked the two other girls.

"You live on the 5th floor. How will he get there?" Santana said as she studied her manicured nails.

"The same way as you. With the elevator."

Santana rolled her eyes and Finn seemed to be angry. Maybe Kurt could stick up for Finn, but he didn't want Santana to be annoyed by him, so he didn't say anything.

"I agree with Santana." Quinn said. "I can't imagine he'll manage to find his way on a party like this. There are still a lot stairs at Brittany's and there won't be someone who can look after him all the time."

"You don't know that, if you don't ask him." Finn argued.

Quinn seemed to be a little surprised, since Finn hardly spoke up to her. "Don't you think he'll feel extra bad if he knows he's invited and can't come?"

Finn didn't know an answer to that and before he could think of one, Brittany nodded. "I think you're right, Q, I won't invite him. Maybe if we spent some time together again, I can invite him to a next party."

As Quinn nodded agreeing, Finn shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever." He mumbled. "You know what Rose, our housekeeper, made me yesterday? Muffins!" He showed them a box full of muffins. Next to him, Kurt heard Mercedes making a 'Hmmmm'-sound, craving for a muffin.

"Do any of you want one?" He opened the box before they could answer.

"Yes, please." Brittany and Santana both took a muffin and Mercedes took one afterwards. Kurt smiled at Finn as he offered him a muffin. "Thanks." He said after taking a blueberry muffin from the box.

"Don't you want one?" Finn looked at his girlfriend. Kurt swore to his surprise that she looked a little green.

"No, thanks." She sounded disgusted. "I feel sick."

Immediately Finn had a worried look in his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me? Are you okay? Do you want to go home?"

"No..." Quinn moaned, "I...I think I need a bathroom." She got up and ran in the direction of the school.

For a second they shared some worried looks and then Santana and Brittany went after her. "

Jones, come with us!" Santana ordered, "Someone needs to hold her hair back if she's going to throw up."

Mercedes looked sadly at her muffin, but got up and follow the three girls.

Both Finn and Kurt watched the four girls entering Constance. Finn gave a sigh and sat down a step, so he sat next to Kurt. That's was certainly forbidden, but Kurt decided not to say anything about it. Only the two of them were left: the perfect moment to get close to Finn.

"I hope she's alright." Finn said.

"She probably is." said Kurt convinced, "The whole sickness-thing is probably an act so she doesn't have to eat all the calories of this muffin."

"You'd think? She really looked sick."

"It's a trick, Finn." Kurt gave him a polite smile. "A few minutes ago she was perfectly fine, remember? She just doesn't want to reject your muffins."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just can't believe anyone wouldn't want one of Rosita's muffins. They're delicious."

"Girls..." Kurt said, as if he wasn't feminine himself at all. "They're just weird. And these muffins are great. You'd think you could pass me the recipe from Rosita?"

"I guess. Doesn't you housekeeper make you delicious food?"

Kurt hesitated for a moment. If he admitted they didn't have a housekeeper, this conversation could be over very fast. He decided to make it unclear whether they had a housekeeper or not. "No," He said, "But I'd like to bake them once."

"You bake?" Finn asked amused.

"You don't?" was Kurt's reply.

To his surprise Finn laughed. "I'm sorry. Baking was never my thing and it isn't my mom's either. That's why we have Rosita."

"I guess that's where it all went wrong." Kurt joked, "My mom loved baking."

"Loved?" Finn repeated in a much more serious tone.

Kurt looked down as he always did involuntarily when his mother was brought up. "Yeah, my mom died eight years ago. She had cancer."

"That sucks." Finn said, "And I won't say 'I'm so sorry', since I know how annoying that is."

Kurt gave a little smile. "Your dad died, right?"

"Yeah, but that happened when I was just a baby. I don't remember him and I don't really miss him." Kurt watched Finn as he said that. They didn't make eye contact, since Finn just stared blankly to a point on the horizon. "That sounds harsh. I know, but it's the truth. How can you miss someone you don't remember?"

"You have point there." Kurt admitted, "I remember my mom, but vaguely. I'm always afraid that I'll lose the memories I have left, so I hold on to her likes."

"Like baking." Finn smiled, "You know, it's so much harder on my mom. She never even went on a date, at least not that I know of. I feel sorry for her, but I don't...miss my father."

"I think I understand it. My dad never..." Kurt hesitated for a moment because a genius thought had popped up in his head, "...I mean he never got remarried. I think he had some dates."

They kept talking about their parents, but Kurt wasn't really paying attention anymore. He had come up with a genius plan to get close to him and his mother. Finn's mother was alone, his dad was alone. They only had to meet and with some pushing they could start to like each other and he would be one step closer to reaching his goal.

* * *

_Quinn seems to have an appointment with the toilets. Again. We spotted her yesterday and the day before doing some secret business in the stall. Auditioning for an eating disorder, Q?_

* * *

"I can't believe she wrote such thing." Quinn said angrily to Mercedes. They were walking from history class to French. Mercedes was the only one who had both of those subjects with Quinn, so she used her as a person to abreact her feelings about Gossip Girl. "I'm neither anorexic nor bulimic. It's all lies. I wonder who would send in something like that. I bet it was Santana. She's trying to ruin my reputation to become Queen herself."

Mercedes didn't answer, but Quinn didn't care and started ranting again. "I mean I'm just feeling a little sick and those things happen. It doesn't mean I'm bulimic. People here always assume the worst when they see things. Now I feel like everyone is watching me."

Of course everyone was watching her anyway, but she ignored that fact for the moment. Now she finally knew what it meant to be on Gossip Girl. There had been some posts about minor incidents, her relationship with Finn and the recap Gossip Girl gave, but the spotlight had always been on her sister Frannie and her friends. Now they had graduated and Gossip Girl started focusing on her. She'd never understood why her sister always complained about having all these blasts about her, but now she did.

They arrived at the next class. Quinn saw how her French teacher gave her a worried look and she had a hard time not rolling her eyes. Even the faculty at Constance read Gossip Girl. They probably had to in order to keep up to date with their students, but still, she found it pathetic.

"Are you okay, Quinn?" Mrs. Patricksen asked.

"I'm absolutely fine." Quinn answered with a little bit of sarcasm in it, leaving Mrs. Patricksen confused.

She sat down next to Santana and decided to confront her immediately. "Did you send in that thing about me on Gossip Girl?"

"What? No!" Santana whispered, since Mrs. Patricksen had started her class, "I didn't send anything in. I didn't even know you'd thrown up yesterday and the day before yesterday too. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Quinn snapped, "I just want to know who could have sent the tip in."

"It could be anyone. Everyone notices when Quinn Fabray storms into the toilet to puke."

Quinn gave a sigh. Santana was right. All eyes were focused on her. "I just hope my mom doesn't read it. Or my dad's voters. He would be so angry, if he'd found out he lost them because of a stupid Gossip Girl post."

Quinn's father was a Republican senator and his visions were strict, conservative and catholic. It meant that both Frannie and Quinn couldn't do whatever they wanted, since every scandal would hurt his reputation too. Once Frannie had been spotted making out with a guy at a party. Gossip Girl had posted it and before they knew it, it went all over the Internet. Let's say, Russell Fabray's voters weren't happy. After that he'd hated Gossip Girl and he was trying to sue the website, but since it was anonymous it was hard to figure _who _he had to sue.

Quinn gave a sigh and tried to listen to Mrs. Patricksen, but honestly, she wasn't interested in French at all. She opened her agenda and started leafing through the pages. She went back to the dates in July, when it was summer and was spending her days lying on a beach near Barcelona. She gave a small sigh and then she noticed something. She had marked that she'd gotten her period on the 21th of July. That meant that she'd have to have her period now. Her heart jumped as she rushed through the pages, but she didn't see another marking. _No, no, no_. This couldn't be happening to her.


	4. Chapter 4: Ten Seconds Until Explosion

The weather had gotten worse over the last few days. Artie watched the rain slamming against the windows of their apartment and listened to the howling wind. He was thinking about school. It had been two weeks since he went back to St. Jude's and he had the feeling his old friends weren't going to treat him like they did before the accident. He felt really disappointed although he could've expected it. His friends hadn't visited him over the summer or even called or texted him. Still, he had hoped that if he went to school with them everything would go back to normal.

He sighed. The only good thing that happened to him in this past two weeks was his meeting with the Asian girl. He didn't know her name, but she was nice and not anything like the other girls at Constance. He had looked for traces of her on Gossip Girl, but she wasn't on it. He guessed that was a good sign.

"Arthur? You've got a visitor." His mother's voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned his chair. "Who is it?"

"Hey, Artie." Finn Hudson stepped into his room. "I thought I'd visit you. Ask how you've been doing. We haven't really talked the last weeks."

Artie smiled as he saw his friend. He couldn't describe how happy he felt to see Finn. After all the disappointments, it was good to know he and Finn were still friends. Before the accident Finn, Puck and he had been best friends, like a male Unholy Trinity. They had joked about dating Quinn, Santana and Brittany. But Puck had stopped visiting after a few months and the girls had abandoned him too. "Hey, Finn. Good to see you. How were the first two weeks of junior year?"

"Pretty good. School's more fun when your girlfriend is around all day."

Artie smiled and for a second his thoughts went to the Asian girl. "That's good to hear. Are you on the football team again?"

"Yeah, I'm the quarterback."

"Really? Congratulations." Artie said and he tried to ignore the feeling he got from talking about sports. He shouldn't have said anything about it.

"Thanks." Finn smiled. "But how are you? That's what I came for, really. How have your first week back been? Has St. Jude's changed much?"

"The school hasn't."

The school hasn't." Artie didn't feel like telling Finn how disappointed he was, but he wasn't going to lie about it either.

Finn seemed to understand what he meant anyway, because his smile changed into a grimace. "I'm sorry about Puck and the rest. I guess they don't know how to act around you."

"I'm still the same person." Artie argued and he couldn't help but show how angry he could get about this. "My legs don't work anymore, but my brain is still the same. Why does everyone keep treating me as if I'm a fragile little boy?"

"Well, you're not very tall." Finn smirked.

Artie couldn't help but smile. "Okay, why does everyone treats me as if I'm fragile?"

"I don't know. I wished I did so I could help you."

"Thanks. That means a lot to me." Artie said, as he moved away from the window. "It also means a lot to me that you've come to visit me. I haven't talked about this with anyone."

"You should. There must be nice people in your year too." Finn sat down on Artie's bed so they could face each other.

"Well, I've met some nice people." Artie said thinking about the Asian girl. "Actually, one person. The rest has more or less ignored me."

"You'd think they'd love you since Gossip Girl posted two things about you." Finn said with a smile, "But I guess one person is better than none. Is he in one of your classes?"

Artie couldn't help but laugh. "No and it's a she. I met her in the library. She helped me pick a book from the fifth shelf."

Finn laughed. "Sounds great. Who's she?"

"I don't know. I mean, I don't know her name, but she's Asian and she has a stutter."

"Do people at Constance have stutter?" Finn said surprised and they both laughed. Most parents that send their daughters to Constance wanted them to be socialites and a stuttering daughter would be unacceptable.

"She did." Artie said, "I haven't seen her since. Maybe she doesn't even go to Constance."

"But you hope she does." Finn read his face perfectly and Artie's cheeks got a shade redder. "I understand and I hope you'll see her again." He hesitated for a moment and then continued. "Listen, I want to ask you something. Did you hear about Brittany's birthday party?"

Artie gave a nod. He had indeed heard about the party. It had been one of the disappointments this week. Of course Brittany wasn't obligated to invite him, but still, they had been friends for so long, he'd hoped… He bit his lip. "I've heard about it. Why?"

"Well, are you planning on going?"

"She didn't invite me." Artie said confused.

"Yeah, well, I think you should come anyway. He heard her talking about it with Quinn and she's afraid…you know…"

"You know what?" Artie wasn't too enthusiastic about crashing a party of a former friend. Firstly, he didn't want to be disappointed again by his old friends. He knew that would happen and he wouldn't blame them this time. He'd rather have a talk with them some time than crash one of their parties. Besides he hadn't attended any party since he'd ended up in this wheelchair and he didn't know if it would work out. Lastly he would be a stranger at the party. He barely knew the people at school. The seniors and juniors had all changed so much and the under classmen hadn't been around when he had his accident. So he wasn't going to invade a party.

"She's afraid you're too fragile." Finn said with a sigh, "And I get if you don't want to come, but I think that she would like it, if you did. And the others would like it too. They'll see that you're just a normal guy, even if you're in a wheelchair, and maybe they'll start to treat you like that again too."

Artie was in doubt. It could be a good chance for his old friends to see he was just the same guy and get the wheelchair-thing out of the way. If it was true what Finn said, Brittany secretly hoped he would come. How could he refuse that? Still he wasn't sure, because it could go wrong too. He bit his lip. "I don't know, Finn. I don't want to enforce anything."

"You won't." Finn assured him, "But think about it and maybe you can take that Asian girl with you."

* * *

Quinn didn't know if she'd ever felt so nervous as today. First she had to buy a pregnancy test without being seen which was hard for an It-Girl. She had managed by going to Queens and choosing the worst-looking drugstore of them all. No Constance student would want to be found dead in that place, including herself, but difficult times asked for drastic measures. Now she was reading how to use the test. Of course she knew how to do a pregnancy test – she had watched enough TV to know how it worked – but she was afraid to do it. What if she got to stripes and the test would be positive? Her father would kill her. She couldn't get an abortion either, because even if she hadn't found such thing horrible, she'd certainly be spotted outside of a clinic. Her father's voters wouldn't like that. She gave a sigh and took the stick that also had been in the box. She just needed to do it. Maybe she was just stressed and she'd get her period later, but a voice in her head told her that wasn't true. She hadn't had her period for two months and most of that time she'd been relaxing on the beach. She hadn't been stressed at all.

She went to the bathroom, pied and waited. _Waiting is the worst_ she thought. According to instructions she had to wait two minutes, but it felt like two hours. First she stared at the test, but nothing changed. So she got up, walked around her room and looked at the clock again. Thirty seconds had passed. She didn't want to leave the test, so she couldn't get a cup of tea. So she sat down again and drummed with her fingers on her desk. She hummed a song and looked at the clock. Half a minute to go. She peeked at the test. The instructions hadn't lied, there was nothing to see yet. She was starting to get frustrated. She knew it was only half a minute, but she wanted to know if she needed to worry or not. She drummed on the desk again and looked at the clock. Ten seconds left. She counted down in her head. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four… The last three seconds she counted out loud: "Three, two, one…"

The alarm went off, but she didn't care. She looked at the stick. There was something to see now. Two stripes lit up on the small screen. It felt like her stomach made a somersault. This couldn't be true. She couldn't be pregnant. She just couldn't. Tears started to fill her eyes and she wanted to scream. How was this possible? From all the girls on Constance, she had to be the one that got pregnant. Now she let out a sob. "No, no, no." She whispered. She would have to tell her mom. And her dad. Another sob escaped. And she had to tell Finn. Tears started streaming down her face as another thought popped up in her head. Finn wasn't the only one she slept with last summer. There was also that night that Puck visited her in Barcelona. How could she be so stupid? She had hoped to forget about it and now that would be impossible. She began to cry uncontrollably.

It took her thirty minutes to relax again. She went to her bathroom and looked in the mirror. She looked horrible. Her eyes were red and puffy and there was mascara on her cheek. She sighed and started cleaning her face. She put on some new mascara and brushed her hair. At least she didn't look like the bride of Frankenstein anymore now.

She walked back to her room where the pregnancy test was still on her desk. She needed to get rid of it and she couldn't just throw it away at home. Their housemaid could find it or her parents. She had it do at a place where everyone could throw things away, but no one could see her: the toilets of Constance. She put the test in her bag. Next thing she'd do tomorrow would be throwing that thing away. Then she would be safe. At least for now.

* * *

Tina saw Artie as she walked into the courtyard. This was the fourth time she saw him after their meeting in the library. Never had she approached him. She didn't dare too. It probably had been just another meeting for him, so there was a huge chance he wouldn't even recognize her. She didn't want to risk such a disappointed. She'd rather pretend that there was something between them than learn how he really thought about her. So as soon as she saw him, she looked down and pretended she wasn't there. She didn't want to ruin her dream. But looking at him again was really tempting and she had a hard time keeping her eyes locked on the ground.

She allowed herself a small peek and that was when her eyes with his. He looked right at her and to her surprise she found a trace of recognition in his eyes. He smiled at her and she felt her cheeks turning red.

"Hey!" He wheeled his chair towards her. She was so surprised that he even bothered to talk to her again, that she froze and watched him cross the space between them. He had to think she was a complete weirdo. "How are you?" He asked her enthusiastically, "I'm glad to see you again."

It took her a few seconds to process what he was saying and even longer to think of an answer. She couldn't believe he recognized her and was happy to see her again. No one at Constance or St. Jude's had ever been so…friendly to her. Most of the time they ignored her or looked down at her, because she was shy and liked gothic style. "I-I'm f-fine."

He smiled as she stammered as if it was cute instead of embarrassing. "That's great. You know, I forgot to ask you a really important question in the library."

Tina immediately felt uncomfortable. She didn't know what the question was and she was afraid it was something that would embarrass her even more. What if he wanted to know why she lied about the book she was reading? Or why she had ignored him all the times she'd seen him?

"What's your name? I know it's really stupid, but I didn't think about asking it."

"I'm T-Tina C-Cohen-Chang." Tina said relieved.

"Nice to meet you, Tina Cohen-Chang." Artie didn't make fun of her stutter which Tina appreciated. "I'm Artie Abrahams, by the way."

"I know." Tina bit her tongue as she had said it. He had to think she was a stalker right now. Why couldn't she just have a normal conversation for once in her life?

He didn't give a confused look, but smiled. "Gossip Girl, I guess?"

Tina gave a nod, but didn't say anything. She was happy that he didn't think she was a complete freak, but still she was nervous. It had been a long time since she had talked to someone like this and she didn't want to ruin it right away, but she didn't know what to say to continue the conversation either.

Fortunately, Artie seemed to have more experience with conversations. "Yeah, I'm all over that these days. Anyway, do you want to have lunch together?"

Tina was absolutely surprised by this offer. She really wanted to say yes, but on the other hand she didn't know what to talk about during lunch either. She was scared of the awkward silences and the stares they would get. Still, she was curious how it would be to have a 'sort-of-friend'. She hesitated for a moment but eventually her curiosity won. "O-okay."

"Great." Artie said with a smile. He wheeled towards one of the tables where Tina sat down at the other side of the table. For a moment they stared at each other and Tina feared that this would be thirty minutes from hell, but then Artie took his lunch from his back and started unwrapping it. Tina decided to do the same, so in silence they started eating.

Artie was the one that spoke first. "Tell me, weren't you at Constance before my accident or did I never notice before?"

"I-I wasn't at C-Constance. I'm a s-sophomore." Tina answered.

Artie nodded. "Yes, that's what I thought. There are not a lot of Asians at Constance. I mean, I guess I would have noticed you."

Tina looked down. He probably wouldn't have since she was pretty invisible. It was just a coincidence he met her in the library. Otherwise he'd probably never have known about her existence. Not that she would admit such thing to him. "I guess."

"You're not on Gossip Girl either." He gave her a smile, "I have to admit I looked on it for an Asian girl but I didn't find you on it. Maybe if I searched for your name…"

"Y-you won't f-find a-anything." Tina said, "I-I'm not on G-Gossip G-G-Girl. I'm n-not i-interesting enough f-for i-it."

Artie laughed. "You don't have to be interesting to be on Gossip Girl. Look at the girls that are on it. You think Quinn Fabray is such an interesting person? She's Frannie Fabray's little sister and her father is a senator, but Quinn herself isn't really special."

Tina shrugged her shoulders. "I-it seems like s-she's i-interesting when y-you read Gossip Girl."

"Gossip Girl is 70% lies." Artie assured her and he winked at her. Tina bit on her lip to hide the big smile that wanted to appear on her face. She didn't know what it was, but Artie gave her the feeling she wasn't an outsider. He took away the feeling she had had all her life and made her feel like a normal teenager that was having lunch with a friend.

"Yeah, I r-read w-what she wrote about y-you."

Artie smiled but he looked down as if he was embarrassed by the words Gossip Girl had spent on him. "Well, I have to admit that was true. My old friends are basically ignoring me. If they see me, they make eye contact but they don't talk to me. Gossip Girl was right."

"Y-you don't know that." Tina said. She felt like she had to tell him something to make him feel better. "M-maybe t-they want to be f-friends again b-but don't know how to. Maybe y-you should be t-the one t-that takes the first st-step."

Artie seemed to take her advice in and for moment he said nothing. Tina feared she had said the wrong thing and he was angry at her, but then he smiled at her. "Yeah, I guess you're right."


	5. Chapter 5: Seventeen Candles

"What are you doing?" Mercedes sat next to Kurt who was writing something down on a block note.

Kurt didn't respond at first because he was completely focused on what he was writing down. He looked a little confused at his best friend before he seemed to realize what she had said. "I'm making a list."

"A list of what?" Mercedes wasn't content with the answer, "You've been writing for at least five minutes."

Kurt got confused as he tried to listen to Mercedes and writing a word down at the same time and decided to take a break from writing so he could explain his plan to Mercedes. "I'm making a list of all the things that Carole Ellison is involved in."

"Carole Ellison? She writes for Vogue, doesn't she?"

"And she's Finn Hudson's mom." Kurt nodded. He looked at his block note. He had made quite a list and he was convinced this could help him achieve his goal.

"Okay, I'm not sure if I understand what you're doing. You want to work at Vogue and Carole Ellison works there. So you're making a list where you can meet her en persuade her to hire you even though you're still in high school?"

Kurt smiled. Mercedes understood him perfectly. That had been his approach before, but now with an extra piece of information he had developed even a better plan. "Almost. I was talking to Finn last week about our parents and I realized that Finn's father died. Apparently, Carole hasn't dated ever since. Just like my dad."

The look on Mercedes face changed from confused to understanding, maybe even admiration. "You're planning on playing matchmaker?"

Kurt grinned. "I am. It's genius, don't you think?"

"Yeah, if it works."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'if'? Of course it'll work!"

"You just said both your dad and Carole haven't dated since their partners passed away. What makes you think they will even like each other, let alone would want to date each other?"

Mercedes had a point, but Kurt wouldn't admit that. He was too proud of his plan. Besides his future depended on this and he didn't want to think about all the possibilities for this plain to fail. He had to get an internship at Vogue or at another fashion magazine. His father was trying to convince him to visit universities but that was not what he had in mind. Kurt didn't want to go to college; he wanted to be a trendsetter. The best way to get there was via a fashion magazine and he had only two years left to achieve that, so there was no time for doubt. This plan had to work out. "No one can resist Burt Hummel." He said with a confident smile.

Mercedes snorted and Kurt didn't know if he had to feel insulted or laugh along with her. What he had said, was a little ridiculous. Burt was nothing like the Upper East Siders. He didn't even grow up in New York but in some dull place in Ohio. He went to New York after he graduated and started his own business. That turned to be a good choice, because now Burt and Kurt were living on the Upper West Side and Burt had enough money to send his son to the best school in town. Still, Kurt's father was an outsider. He didn't attend the parties everyone went to, didn't know how to chit chat with other parents at St. Jude's and didn't bother to be fashionable. Sometimes Kurt felt ashamed but in the end he loved his father very much. "My father can be very charming." Kurt defended his dad, "I'm sure Carole will fall for him."

The bell rang and Mercedes got up. "Yeah right, Kurt. I hope she likes car-jokes."

Kurt got up two and walked towards the school with his best friend. "Maybe I could give him some dating tips. Or at least warn him to keep quiet about some things." He admitted, "But mark my words: Carole Ellison is going to fall for Burt Hummel."

* * *

_It's a big day today: B is turning seventeen. Congratulations, B, you've successfully survived sixteen and everyone knows seventeen is a magical age. Zac Efron wanted to relive his moments and Robert Pattison is seventeen forever. Reason enough for a party. I just hope there won't be any party crashers…_

* * *

Artie checked his phone for the last time. He had heard nothing from Brittany or any of the others. Only Finn had sent a text if he was coming. He hadn't responded, because he didn't know yet although it was ten o'clock and he was reading to go. He still didn't know if this was a good idea. He had followed Brittany's birthday via his phone. First he had read the Gossip Girl blast and then he had read the posts on Facebook about it. Santana said she was preparing at Brittany's house and Mike let the world know that he had a special surprise for his girlfriend. Artie had congratulated Brittany on Facebook and she had liked his post, but she hadn't asked him to come. What if she didn't want him to crash the party? What if he'd only make it worse?

But then he thought about what Tina had said. Maybe he had to make the first move. Maybe they would welcome him with open arms at the party. He took a deep breath and sent a text to Finn. _I'm coming__. CU party_. Then he called for the driver to bring him to the Pierce's.

The drive wasn't long, because Brittany only lived two blocks away, but he preferred to go by car, since wheeling was pretty exhausting. He got out of the car and took the elevator to the 5th floor where Brittany lived. He had been there a million times when they were in middle school, but since his accident he hadn't. Now he noticed all the little things that had changed. The carpet was blue instead of red and he saw a new painting on the wall as he entered the building.

He could hear the music even before the doors of the elevator opened. A Miley Cyrus song was playing and he heard laughing, talking and screaming. It had been some time since he went to a party, but he recognized the features of a good one. He wheeled his chair into the apartment that was already filled with people. The Pierce's had a huge living room which was combined with a kitchen and dining room. Artie remembered how it used to be very neat with a black, leather sofa in the middle and a huge flat screen on the wall. Everything had its place and there was never mess in the apartment. That was different now. The lights were dimmed and there was loud music. There were people dancing on a table and everywhere he looked were red cups.  
Artie couldn't imagine Mrs. Pierce would accept this. Then he remembered Brittany's parents had a divorce a year ago and Brittany had to live with her dad here. Now he knew, he noticed that Mrs. Pierce's favorite painting wasn't on the wall anymore and all the photographs of her disappeared too. He sighed. Yet another thing he had missed.

No one had noticed him yet, which gave Artie some time to find the people that mattered to him. He saw Santana dancing on the table with another girl. They were showing their sexiest dance moves and Puck was staring at them with an admiring gaze in his eyes (or he was just drunk). Quinn was talking to a senior – Sarah Francis, if he was not mistaken – and Brittany was sitting on Mike's lap and whispering something in his ear. Artie found Finn at another table where he was playing a drinking game with Matt Rutherford, David Karofsky and a guy Artie didn't know. He doubted who he wanted to talk to first: Brittany or Finn. Then Finn saw him and made the decision for him.

"Artie!" He said enthusiastically and Artie noticed he didn't walk straight anymore as he came towards him. Apparently, he had already drunk a lot. "I'm glad you came."

The other boys didn't follow Finn, but looked at him which gave Artie an unpleasant feeling. They didn't look disapproving, but still, he didn't get a warm welcome. _No_ he told himself. He was not going to do this. He would make the first move and it would probably all be fine. In half an hour he would be sitting with the guys and playing that drinking game. So he grinned at Finn. "Yeah, of course. Can't miss a Pierce Party."

Finn high-fived him. "Have you said hello to the birthday girl?"

Artie shook his head. "No, I haven't seen her yet." He lied.

"She can't be far." Finn said with a big smile and he put his hand on Artie's shoulder as he looked around the room. Meanwhile Artie studied Finn. He was definitely drunk. That sucked, since he was the only real friend Artie had on this party. If none of this would work out, there was no Finn to lean on – well, no Finn that was in his right mind. "Oh, I see her. Over there with Mike."

Finn pointed in the direction of the black sofa. "Let's go."

He walked through the crowd and Artie followed him as good as he could, trying not to wheel over anyone's toes. Now people started to notice him and he heard whispers everywhere he turned his head. He didn't know if the talks were about his accident or his presence at this party. He only knew that it gave him even a more uncomfortable feeling.

"Hey, Brittany and Junior!" Finn sat down on the couch next to Mike who was kissing Brittany. "Look who's here!"

At first both of them ignored them, but then Mike pulled back and looked Finn. His glare obviously said: "Leave me, man, I'm making out with my girlfriend", but Finn didn't get it. Artie did see it and wanted to disappear as soon as possible. Brittany also looked at Finn and sighed. "How much did you have?"

Finn giggled, which Artie had never heard him do. "You're not even looking. I brought you a birthday present?"

Both Brittany and Mike turned their head and saw Artie. Artie didn't know what kind of reaction he had expected from them, but it was not this uncomfortable one. Mike looked down and shifted in discomfort, while Brittany's startled look changed into a guilty one as she bit her lip and avoided eye contact with Artie.

It took him a lot of courage to speak at that moment. "Happy birthday."

He didn't know if he shook offer her his hand to shake it or try to hug her, which would be weird with him in a chair. So he didn't make a move to make physical contact.

"Thanks." Brittany said, still not meeting his eyes.

There was an awkward silence after that. Artie felt awful. This had been one big mistake. Brittany and Mike weren't happy to see him at all. There was just a lot of awkwardness between them which even alcohol could take away.

"I...I don't have a present for you. I'm sorry. It was kind of a last minute decision to come to your party. I'll get you something tomorrow."

Brittany managed to smile. "You don't need to do that."

At that moment something crashed on the floor with a huge bang. Everyone turned their heads in the direction of the noise. Brittany got of Mike's lap. "I'm sorry. I need to see what that was."

Artie nodded. Secretly he was relieved she left, because part of the tension between the four of them disappeared. Mike got up too. "I'm going to get another beer." For a moment he looked at Artie as if he wanted to ask if he wanted one too, but he didn't. He only said: "Nice to talk to you again."

He padded Finn on the shoulder as he walked away. "Easy on the alcohol, man."

Finn rolled his eyes. Then he looked at Artie and his smile was back on his face. "That wasn't too bad, was it?"

Artie sighed. There was no use in explaining to Finn that it had gone awful. "Yeah."

"Hudson!" Matt Rutherford yelled from the other side of the room. "We weren't done yet. You still have to drink tequila. Don't think we'll let you get away with that."

Finn laughed and got up. He seemed to forget about Artie and walked towards the boys he was playing the game with when Artie had entered the party. He turned his head for a short moment and said something that sounded like a goodbye, but Artie wasn't too sure about that. He gave a sigh. This was probably the worst party he had ever been to. All the other guests were having fun, but he felt like an outsider. He was an outsider. And he had enough of it.

He turned his wheelchair around and started moving towards the elevator. From the corner of his eye he saw Santana and Puck, their faces almost touching. He saw Brittany scolding a girl who had pushed of a vase. He saw Mike talking to Matt and Finn drinking from a bottle of vodka. None of them cared about him. He had shown up at their party and instead of trying talking to him they had ignored him.

He almost crashed into Quinn. He apologized and for a moment he thought they could have some kind of conversation. "Quinn." He said with a friendly nod, but Quinn completely ignored him. There was no way she hadn't seen him – he had almost knocked her of her feet – and still she pretended he wasn't there. Tears started filling his eyes and he had to swallow to prevent himself from crying.

He wheeled into the elevator and ordered it to bring him to the first floor. As the elevator took him down, he took his phone from his pocket to tell his driver to pick him up again, but he hesitated as he saw the name that stood under _Just Added_. He bit his lip and clicked on the name. His phone dialed the number and soon enough a girl answered his call. "Hello?"

"Hi Tina, it's Artie. I know you probably already have plans for this Friday night, but would you like to have drink with me?"

* * *

Quinn hadn't even noticed Artie although she hadn't had any alcohol. She had told her friends she was drinking a mix of coke and vodka, but actually it was just a coke. Still, she was looking at Finn at the moment and didn't notice that someone almost knocked her off her feet. She was scolding Finn in her mind. He was completely drunk. Had he any idea how stupid that looked? She wouldn't say anything about it tonight. Tomorrow, when he was having a hang-over, she would mention it. Now her mission was keeping Finn from doing stupid things, which he often did as he was drunk. Fortunately, she hadn't told him about her problem, because he would tell everyone about it in this state.

She walked into the kitchen and took the bottle of Coca Cola. She poured it in two red cups. One for her and one for Finn. He could use something without alcohol in it.

"No wine for you?" Suddenly a very annoying voice said.

She looked up and saw Rachel Berry standing at the other side of the counter. Did Brittany invite her? Probably not, but party crashing was something a sad person like Rachel Berry would do. Quinn rolled her eyes at her.

"I thought you were a hardcore animal and wouldn't skip an occasion to drink alcohol."

Quinn didn't answer and took the two cups. She wanted to walk towards the table Finn and the other boys were sitting at, but Rachel blocked her way. "Or maybe there's another reason you're not drinking alcohol."

Quinn almost dropped the two cups. Why would Berry say something like that? Could she possibly know what was going on? How did she figure it out? Was it that obvious? A thousand questions popped up in her head and filled her body with panic. Still she didn't move a muscle keeping a perfectly straight face. A small smirk appeared on her face. "What are you implying, Berry?"

"I think you know." Rachel Berry looked confident and unless she was as good an actress as Quinn she really knew what was going on.

Fuck. Quinn clenched her teeth together to prevent herself from yelling at the petite brunette. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She said when she didn't feel the urge anymore to slap Berry in the face.

"Don't play this game with me, Q." Rachel said, "You know what I'm talking about, but if you keep playing oblivious I can easily tell everyone at this party. Or we could go somewhere quiet and discuss how we can keep your secret a secret."

Quinn looked Berry in the eye, but she could tell if the girl was lying to her or not. She could ignore her, but chances were Berry did know her secret and if it was on Gossip Girl the damage would be permanent. Still if she gave in, Berry would win. Would she take the risk? She hesitated for a moment. "I'm going to bring this drink to Finn. After that we can talk."

Berry shrugged her shoulders. "That's fine. I think he can use some non-alcoholic liquid. Does he know?"

Quinn didn't reply, but she was relieved. That only confirmed that Berry wasn't lying to her but did know her secret. She had made the right decision. On the other hand, she had another problem, since she suspected Berry wouldn't keep it a secret just because she liked Quinn – which she probably didn't.

She gave Finn the cup filled with Coca Cola and told Matt to keep an eye on her boyfriend. "I don't want him to pass out or do something stupid. I'll be here again in a minute. There something I need to take care of first."

Matt nodded and switched Finn's cup for the cup Quinn just brought him. Quinn turned to Rachel. "We can go to the guest room."

Berry shrugged her shoulders again and followed Quinn. Quinn knew her way around Brittany's apartment perfectly. Her parents and the Pierces were friends for ages and she had been here million times. She opened the door of the guest room where she had had at least ten sleepovers and let Berry enter the room first. Then she went in and locked the door. You never knew who would come upstairs to make out.

"Tell me what you supposedly have on me." Quinn said, although she was almost sure Berry knew the truth. She wasn't going to give in that easily.

"Oh, Q, you know what I have on you." Berry said with a vicious smile.

"Don't play games on me." Quinn snapped.

"You're pregnant. The signs are clear. You threw up several times at school. You're not drinking alcohol."

"That doesn't prove anything."

"Oh, and I may have found something you threw away." Berry's smile grew bigger. "A pregnancy test."

Quinn's face went pale. She thought there had been no one in the girls' toilets as she threw the test away. How could Rachel Berry have been there? Then she remembered. Someone entered after her, so she had kept quiet. That person washed her hands and left, but she could as well just opened the door and stayed in the toilets.

"You spied on me."

Berry shrugged her shoulders. "Something was going on with you and I was curious. But I'm glad you're not denying it anymore."

Quinn's eyes spat fire, but unfortunately glares didn't kill people. "What do you want?" She hissed.

"Ah, yes, business." Berry smiled again. She seemed to enjoy this which made it a lot harder not to slap her in the face. "I'm not sure if you know but my dads own a theater on Broadway. Business was going great until your father decided to boycott it. You know, because of the gay-thing. A little old-fashioned, don't you think? Anyway, now they're almost bankrupt, all because of your dad's little boycott. So I thought it would be a little compensation for me keeping my mouth shut, if you convinced your father to end the boycott."

Quinn's face grew even paler. How was she supposed to do that without telling her father? Of course in every scenario she would have to tell her parents, but she didn't want to do it this way. "I haven't even told my parents."

For the fourth time Rachel Berry shrugged her shoulders. "That's not my problem, Q. Your father ends the boycott before next Friday or I'll have to send this to Gossip Girl."

Berry gave Quinn one last vicious smile as she walked towards the door. She turned her head before she walked out. "You wouldn't want that, would you?"

* * *

_Spotted: Quinn Fabray having a serious conversation with Constance's freak Rachel Berry. I wonder what the Queen and the Joker have to discuss._


End file.
